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Connors Corner By Chuck Connors Toboggan Cap Poses Burning Question Where Are Top Sprinters in Country Tracks No Longer Cater to Division DivisionJAMAICA JAMAICA L I N Y May 3 Where are the top sprinters of the country That was the burning ques ¬ tion this morning when prospects for the forthcoming Toboggan Handicap at Belmont Park were under discussion Jim ¬ my Kilroe racing secretary and handicapper at the New York tracks was interrogated as to their whereabouts Jimmy a master of repartee nonchalantly remarked that it was a good ques ¬ tion but what was the answer and if anyone knew it he would only be too glad to seek out their hiding places Topnotch sprinters at the moment are a scarce com ¬ modity on the New York scene and as a matter of fact at other tracks as well New York boasts of a handful such as Switch On Nances Lad War Command Im ¬ passe Dedicate Blessbull and a few others but many astute observers are convinced that this crop does not measure up to the giants of yesteryear and that pros ¬ pects for the future are none too encouraging encouragingNew New York racing has to a certain extent bypassed the sprinter when it comes to attractive offerings and the lead has been followed by other courses around the country The Paumonok Toboggan Carter and the Fall Highweight are the top ones in New York that offer owners and trainers opportunity to earn purse monies in comparison to the distance events offered for all types and divisions These top sprint events have according to statistics available produced spirited fin ¬ ishes and aroused interest However they are spread thin across the racing agenda and horsemen have been forced in many instances to race their charges at dis ¬ tances to which they are unsuited Additional sprint fixtures with attractive purse offerings would no doubt be attractive to owners and trainers and at the same time improve the overall racing picture pictureWith With more opportunities sprinters would not be sac ¬ rificed by racing over a longer distance of ground thus breaking down their competitive spirit and perhaps ruining what prospects that lie ahead as breeding ma ¬ terial Anyway the outlook for the Toboggan Handi ¬ cap that sixfurlong sprint down the Widener Course at Belmont Park appears this season as an offering that will not attract a big field The Toboggan was inherited from old Morris Park up in Westchester and down through the years was won by many of the greats hi the sprint field However as there are none such as Roseben Polydor Sation Osmand Balko Jack High Naturalist and others the question that stumped Jimmy Kilroe remains unanswered Where are the topnotch sprinters Quien sabe sabeMrs Mrs Sloane Among MidWeek Visitors VisitorsRaymond Raymond Guest he has several horses in training was a clubhouse visitor yesterday to witness the run ¬ ning of the Youthful Mrs Dodge Sloane came out to lend encouragement to her starter Encore who car ¬ ried her Brookmeade silks in the juvenile offering J M Roebling the New Jerseyite wason hand Ramon Alvarez public relations director of Oriental Park was present He planed up from Havana but will go to Louisville Ky to witness the Derby M F Frelinghuysen who races under the nom de course of Twin Oaks Stable came over from New Jersey to wit ¬ ness his Jolly Jack in action A draft of horses which will race for Dr J P Jones of Virginia arrived at Belmont Park from Maryland MarylandSidney Sidney Waters with a number of steeplechasers is at Belmont Park awaiting the opening of the jumping jumpingseason season Trainer Al Pupino of Clearwater Stable and andTony Tony Pascuma will fly to Europe next week They are in quest of some European breds with possibilities as stud prospects They will visit Ireland England and France during the two weeks absence they have sched ¬ uled Frank Coltilefti assistant to Loyd Gentry of the Cain Hoy Stable was discharged from the hospital He underwent minor surgery Gerald Colella of Cambridge Mass he has a wellbalanced menage in ¬ cluding Switch On here with Johnny Nerud came down from his home for a few days visit visitTrainer Trainer Jim Fitzsimmons was highly pleased with the showing of the twoyearold Bold Ruler from the Wheatley Stable in the Youthful He is an improv ¬ ing sort remarked the veteran Spanish San from the Buchanan Stable was scratched from the Youthful due to bucked shins He will according to trainer Jim ¬ my Hastie be sidelined for a couple of weeks Trainer Rabbit Dabson stated that Nances Lad may be a starter in the Toboggan openingday feature at Bel ¬ mont Park Samuel A Peck who has several horses with Bill Dobbs plans to leave for Louisville to root for Career Boy in the Derby DerbyConfine Confine Nashua Activity to Gallop GallopNashua Nashua galloped a couple of miles over the Aque ¬ duct strip this morning and will be vanned here on Friday for his Grey Lag engagement Trainer Jim Fitzsimmons set something of a record this morning when he failed to breeze a member of his menage over the strip Eleonora Sears was a Belmont Park visitor during the training hours to witness several of her horses undergo trials Cal Rainey following the close of this meeting will leave for Delaware Park where he will serve as a steward Marshall Cassidy and Edward Kilroe returned from a visit to the new Woodbine track near Toronto and reported that it was a revelation in racing plants plantsClem Clem McCarthy the broadcaster was admitted to the New York Medical Center for a checkup and ob ¬ servation His condition for the past month has not been too robust according to the medics Jimmy Kilroe revealed that many of the better threeyearolds in this area had been nominated for the Acorn Maine Chance Farms Royal Lark will be returned here on Sunday from Kentucky and her next start will be the Acorn at Belmont Park Trainer Buddy Raines will ship Countermand owned by the Brandywine Sta ¬ ble to Belmont Park following the running of the Derby He has a draft of horses at the Nassau County course at the present time Randy Sechrest had his appendix removed by Dr Alexander Kaye at Phy ¬ sicians Hospital Jackson Heights this morning i
